Molden has been a much better CB this season than McCourty, I'm glad Belichick is making a move to have him out there over McCourty. Molden isn't an elite or good corner, but he's serviceable, makes plays on the ball and isn't easily beat. McCourty is only 7 pounds removed from Meriweather and Ed Reed, he runs a 4.40 and he's never burned, just always beat. He's great against the run and he has great hands. He has all the tools to be a great FS, he also has all the tools to be a great CB. I don't think Belichick is done with him at CB, but I do believe that since we have no one available to fill the FS position and since McCourty has been a liability at CB that BB might move him there and then reevaluate where he plays in the offseason. Posted by 49Patriots

Good info.

Two things can be said for McC - he can tackle and he is fast - just what you need in a FS (plus instinct and angling sense). You need a corner to do more than those. He has to time his jumps and look for the ball, too. I know there is more to both positions. One thing was clear, he was shaping into a bust at CB if he poor year was not due to a nagging injury (which would not explain his earlier failings this season). I am glad he looked pretty good at FS Sunday. Let's see waht happens going forward.

In Response to Re: McCourty at FS Going Forward? : Very True, If he improves here this may be his spot, but I think he can still learn safety. They just have to realize that if they go all the way with the safety thing, he most likely cant go back and forth like others have mentioned. His CB would be even worse. So once he is there for a while,. thats it, IMO Lets see how it shaked out. It would help against passing teams, but other than... I thought his strenght last year was turning for the ball so I guess im just not sold that he is a bust as a Cb yet. One great year, one bad year. WHo knows... I think he is playing hurt this year and deserves another shot at CB next year.Posted by JayShizzle45

Hey Jay,

Here's how I'm looking at it. I think most agree that we need a vet CB to come in and stabilize the CB core so that's 1 start spot. Ras is coming back and they felt strongly about him being the other starting CB this year and when he was on the field showed he had the ability (I know his health makes him a concern). Arrington is a great #3 slot CB but also can hold his own as an outside starting CB. If you keep McCourty as a CB it might be difficult for him to get starting reps or eventually make the transition over to FS during the season is the S spot turns out to be like this year. Now with Arrington providing depth against injury and moving Edelman to be a backup nickel/dime CB after a full off-season to work with you have a fairly decent CB core right there, you just need depth. Giving McCourty a full off-season to move over to position that his strengths play to might be the best option if it's under consideration. Now as you said if he does make the transition that I don't think he could go back to being a starting CB but I don't think it removes him from the CB discussion altogether. What I mean is that as a FS he stills keeps his ability to play zone coverage which makes the in game switch from a FS to a zone CB not such a big leap. Actually it should be a relatively easy switch, it's one of the reasons he seeming moved to FS with some ease. Now if you wanted to use him as a man coverage type of CB I don't think he could make the switch or if they wanted to play him as a SS I don't think he could switch back but if he is used as a zone coverage FS/CB not only does it play to his strengths but it's a scheme that he should be able to fluidly switch from FS to CB back to FS during the game

................based purely on technique alone.....Mr Edelman may be our best bump and run cover guy. The more I see him jamming the slot receivers, the more hope I have for this D going forward.

Someone mentioned the evolution of the FS which is exactly why I said DMC was a "bust" at corner and more suited for FS.STR8 line speed and better at ZONE reads. Its risky going into the playoffs but the secondary really cant get any worse.I guess no one noticed the ridiculous passing numbers and with every major collision now being called a personal foul, speed and timing are going to be essential to cover the middle of the field because "separating the man from the ball" will soon be illegal.

The intensity level on D defintely increased when Chung and Spikes got into a groove and somehow, Mark Anderson has learned to play the run.

...........some of the rotten vegetables that people were tossing my way are slowly dripping off to reveal a smiling mug!!!

In Response to Re: McCourty at FS Going Forward? : Hey Jay, Here's how I'm looking at it. I think most agree that we need a vet CB to come in and stabilize the CB core so that's 1 start spot. Ras is coming back and they felt strongly about him being the other starting CB this year and when he was on the field showed he had the ability (I know his health makes him a concern). Arrington is a great #3 slot CB but also can hold his own as an outside starting CB. If you keep McCourty as a CB it might be difficult for him to get starting reps or eventually make the transition over to FS during the season is the S spot turns out to be like this year. Now with Arrington providing depth against injury and moving Edelman to be a backup nickel/dime CB after a full off-season to work with you have a fairly decent CB core right there, you just need depth. Giving McCourty a full off-season to move over to position that his strengths play to might be the best option if it's under consideration. Now as you said if he does make the transition that I don't think he could go back to being a starting CB but I don't think it removes him from the CB discussion altogether. What I mean is that as a FS he stills keeps his ability to play zone coverage which makes the in game switch from a FS to a zone CB not such a big leap. Actually it should be a relatively easy switch, it's one of the reasons he seeming moved to FS with some ease. Now if you wanted to use him as a man coverage type of CB I don't think he could make the switch or if they wanted to play him as a SS I don't think he could switch back but if he is used as a zone coverage FS/CB not only does it play to his strengths but it's a scheme that he should be able to fluidly switch from FS to CB back to FS during the gamePosted by PatsEng

Excellent points Eng. I had forgot all about Ras I and he was STARTING before he got hurt. Either way I think B.B. will draft a CB every year regardless. He has too much turnover at the position. I dont think him playing FS is a bad idea now because of who is left. I would like Molden to be more stable when the ball is in the air and based on sunday I would say Arrington and Moore are the top 2 guys NOW. (those 2 pics for Moore are big confidence boosters) so in postseason, you could see Arrington and Moore starting or start Molden with Moore at Nickel.

I think you could move McCourty back in a pinch, but it shouldnt be outside. he should move down to cover the slot like Meri used to do.

I think McCourty is still top notch 15 yards in, meaning he doesnt give up much in the short passing game and tackles well. His problem is deep routes and fades. So I agree with him playing the slot in a pinch, and who knows how playign FS will help him diagnose plays better as a Cb, but the flexibility wont hurt. I just would like going forward to pair up Chung with a real safety and then use McCourty as a emergency FS, and let him work his way into a role next year that suits him. I think he could play the slot as he wouldnt be defending deep balls that much.

I'm all for letting Ras I be the # 1 next year and keep Arrington at # 2(I dont think Arrington can be a # 1 Cb) but Ras I has heatlh issues and to assume he can start 16 games is a bit much and why I would want MCCourty to still be ready.

So let him learn and play there now, but next year let him compete for a CB spot and draft AND bring in a REAL safety and tell Idebego to hit the Bricks!

Great McCourty can play safety if they need him to, which they just might need more of this year. Next year, no.
He really wasn't all that special at safety last week but whatever we can do the kabookie dickdance at DB but at some point they need a better guy and I'm inclined to believe the best way to improve the drove of Jags that are populating the safety position is with...actual safeties- since its not like there's such a surplus of CBs on the roster that they can lose one.

This guy doesn't strike me as a very smart player, I worry that FS will be too much for him mentally.Posted by mthurl

Seriously, you are going to make a judgment call on this guys football IQ. Great I'll alert BB. I wish comments like that were scrutinized before published. I can't come up with an argument that will make you understand all the incorrect assumptions you are making. I'll just say this. The Pats don't put super stars on the field. They want smart team-players that have multiple position abilities. And just for the record McCourty has been called a very "smart player" by BB.

In Response to Re: McCourty at FS Going Forward? : Excellent points Eng. I had forgot all about Ras I and he was STARTING before he got hurt. Either way I think B.B. will draft a CB every year regardless. He has too much turnover at the position. I dont think him playing FS is a bad idea now because of who is left. I would like Molden to be more stable when the ball is in the air and based on sunday I would say Arrington and Moore are the top 2 guys NOW. (those 2 pics for Moore are big confidence boosters) so in postseason, you could see Arrington and Moore starting or start Molden with Moore at Nickel. I think you could move McCourty back in a pinch, but it shouldnt be outside. he should move down to cover the slot like Meri used to do. I think McCourty is still top notch 15 yards in, meaning he doesnt give up much in the short passing game and tackles well. His problem is deep routes and fades. So I agree with him playing the slot in a pinch, and who knows how playign FS will help him diagnose plays better as a Cb, but the flexibility wont hurt. I just would like going forward to pair up Chung with a real safety and then use McCourty as a emergency FS, and let him work his way into a role next year that suits him. I think he could play the slot as he wouldnt be defending deep balls that much. I'm all for letting Ras I be the # 1 next year and keep Arrington at # 2(I dont think Arrington can be a # 1 Cb) but Ras I has heatlh issues and to assume he can start 16 games is a bit much and why I would want MCCourty to still be ready. So let him learn and play there now, but next year let him compete for a CB spot and draft AND bring in a REAL safety and tell Idebego to hit the Bricks!Posted by JayShizzle45

I agree Jay but I have a slightly different vision in mind for the secondary next year.

What I'm envisioning is McCourty and Moore both being swing FS/CB players when we play zone. As you said not in man or in the box but under that 15yrd mark in a zone coverage I think both can excel, even in slot.

Molden and Edelman are our best press man CB's. When playing man you can toss either in the slot positions or as chips and both can excel well.

Ras is your starting CB with Arrington playing 50-60% of snaps as the relief starter and #3 in the spread/dime. I'd still want a vet like Finnegan, Rogers, or Grimms as the other starting CB

For S you'd have Chung as your starting SS and have a hybrid FS/SS player such as Goldson or draft a kid like Lester to split reps with McCourty but can swing to SS if Chung goes down.

For backups I'd keep Ihedigbo since he is a decent backup as a SS (horrible as a FS) and is a good STer. With McCourty and Moore being swing FS's that's a pretty solid DB core there moving forward

Hey jay..." Ibedaho" was on the field at safety in the first qtr. You can see him arriving late in the highlights(lowlights) of all three buffalo TDs . The defense I'm referring to had
I-bed-a-ho on the sidelines and Chung/mcc in the back. They went to that in the second quarter and stuck with it...

In Response to Re: McCourty at FS Going Forward? : I agree Jay but I have a slightly different vision in mind for the secondary next year. What I'm envisioning is McCourty and Moore both being swing FS/CB players when we play zone. As you said not in man or in the box but under that 15yrd mark in a zone coverage I think both can excel, even in slot. Molden and Edelman are our best press man CB's. When playing man you can toss either in the slot positions or as chips and both can excel well. Ras is your starting CB with Arrington playing 50-60% of snaps as the relief starter and #3 in the spread/dime. I'd still want a vet like Finnegan, Rogers, or Grimms as the other starting CB For S you'd have Chung as your starting SS and have a hybrid FS/SS player such as Goldson or draft a kid like Lester to split reps with McCourty but can swing to SS if Chung goes down. For backups I'd keep Ihedigbo since he is a decent backup as a SS (horrible as a FS) and is a good STer. With McCourty and Moore being swing FS's that's a pretty solid DB core there moving forwardPosted by PatsEng

I like that idea as well, I just dont know who will be hear next year. If they draft a CB(which they should) and get another in free agency, there may not be a spot for Molden. I agree Moore is a keeper because he has shown up well in limited reps. I think for this secondary to improve it starts with getting better quality players and lets face it, these guys are trying but probably dont belong on an NFL field. Idebgo couldnt cut it as the 3rd safety in NY behind E.Smith who is AWFUL. I dont think Idengho should be on the field outside of special teams and even there he hasnt done anything lately. I would keep S.Brown over him.

Bring in Landry who's price will drop due to inuries the last couple years. You have the problem solved. Draft your prospect to groom for your often injured starting safeties and let the best Cb's in August play.

As for Edleman, I like the way he competes. He can tackle and make plays but he isnt ideal as a nickel as he cant cover that well. Just hasnt been exposed yet, but shouldnt we want a real nickel CB next year?

These guys are sooooo good that they rank 32nd in the league?! Gonna be the same shyt next year if we dont upgrade. Passing offenses are getting more leeway every year.

In Response to Re: McCourty at FS Going Forward? : I like that idea as well, I just dont know who will be yeary next year. If they draft a CB(which they should) and get another in free agency, there may not be a spot for Molden. I agree Moore is a keeper because he has shown up well in limited reps. I think for this secondary to improve it starts with getting better quality players and lets face it, these guys are trying but probably dont belong on an NFL field. Idebgo couldnt cut it as the 3rd safety in NY behind E.Smith who is AWFUL. I dont think Idengho should be on the field outside of special teams and even there he hasnt done anything lately. I would keep S.Brown over him. Bring in Landry who's price will drop due to inuries the last couple years. You have the problem solved. Draft your prospect to groom for your often injured starting safeties and let the best Cb's in August play. As for Edleman, I like the way he competes. He can tackle and make plays but he isnt ideal as a nickel as he cant cover that well. Just hasnt been exposed yet, but shouldnt we want a real nickel CB next year? These guys are sooooo good that they rank 32nd in the league?! Gonna be the same shyt next year if we dont upgrade. Passing offenses are getting more leeway every year.Posted by JayShizzle45

The only issue I have with drafting both a CB and a S is that there are a lot of other positions that need/could be filled with those picks. Are you really going to use a pick to replace the #5 CB on the team, Molden? Unless it's a late pick it seems like a watse and even then it's really a gamble if he would be better then Molden. The value just isn't there, unless you don't sign a vet CB and need a starting caliber CB to play across from Ras.

imo Edelman with a full off-season to work could become a viable nickel CB, at least in press. If you are playing zone that's why you have a player like Moore. During zone coverage you could toss Moore into that slot coverage. That flexibility allows you to play to the others strengths in the slot without giving up what the scheme is for the outside CB's.

Brown and Ihedigbo can be interchangeable and I might bring both into camp to see who wins out honestly. I just see Ihedigbo being more of a SS then Brown and that would be the backup role I'd put him in.

When I look at why the secondary was ranked 32nd I break it down to 3 primary reasons:

1) No help over top - Our FS's have been horrible this year and have given zero help over top forcing the CB's to play well off their man. It opens up quick slants, hooks, and go routes without that over the top help.

Having a full time FS in McCourty, Goldson, or Lester should help fix this issue

2) Confusion in coverage - at times the CB's look lost and get turned around easily.

Ras didn't seem to have that issue when he played and having a vet presence on half the field will greatly reduce it too. With help over top, a vet who doesn't get turned around, and no more revolving door guys as starters I see a lot of the confusion disappearing

3) Lack of pass rush - Outside of Anderson and Carter who provided pressure? We were one of the worst teams when QB pressure is involved. You can clearly see the difference it makes with the secondary when we get pressure verses when we don't.

If you can resign Anderson and Carter and instead of using high picks on DB's you use them on front 7 players that can provide pressure this might the thing that helps improve the secondary the most

Hey jay..." Ibedaho" was on the field at safety in the first qtr. You can see him arriving late in the highlights(lowlights) of all three buffalo TDs . The defense I'm referring to had I-bed-a-ho on the sidelines and Chung/mcc in the back. They went to that in the second quarter and stuck with it...Posted by coolade2

I watched the game and like i said McCourty was on the field at FS from the get go. Only thing changed is when Buffalo got in the redzone, McCourty went back to Cb and Idebgho came back in as the safety. The TD's were in the redzone, so no surprise there. I think we are both right. The bad plays came in the redzone with Idegbo there but outside the redzone, McCourty played FS from start to finish.

I texted my buddy after the 3 rd play to tell him about McCourty playing FS

I think Chung coming back was huge for communication reasons as well as being aroung the ball.

I am not saying draft a Cb to play 4th stringer, I am saying I dont think we have a real # 1 or # 2 yet. Ras is good but not reliable and Arrington is a # 2 who could come back to earth next year and show that he is really a # 3.

I think as much people like Edleman, you would rather have Arrington playing the slot. Outside of playing zone, Arrington still gets beat over the top outside when they challenge him, so I guess I am saying changes would be made if I were coach. I wouldnt ride Edleman in the slot next year just because he was adequate in an emergency role. sometimes players get thrown in and perform well but dont do it well as a full time thing.

Remember how good Edleman was a slot WR rookie year and after that he was ok.

DMC, RAS I, Arrington as top # Cb's with Moore as the Dime and S.Brown as backup Dime/FS..

You either draft one CB or get one Free agent. BIggest problems this year to me was inconsistency due to different people in the lineup every week. I would rather not have to play Edleman there, but I would keep him as a emergency option and 4th string WR/punt returner.

Its one thing to be flexibe, and another thing to change your position outright.

I wasn't able to see that since I didn't get to my seat until it was already 14-0... I just didn't notice MCC back there until it was 21-0. I remember thinking why not, let him react to plays in front of him...
With the rule changes it seems a fast ball skill guy like MCC makes more sense than a bigger headhunter type...
Then BING he catches a tipped ball in stride and came real close to taking it to the house. That's an element that's quite useful in the post season ...

He def. got better as the game went on and must have showed something in practice to get the nod, but its also more of a demotion for Idebgho who has been horrible.

I gather after watching film on # 44 the last few weeks, B.B. finaly realized that he wasnt gonna cut it in the postseason and used this last week to see what # 32 can do there. Atleast they know now, they had seen enough of # 44 and #31 I guess. Like I said, its more of a necessacity for this year and forgive me If I want a real safety next year...lol

We are holding on by strings in that secondary ,but getting Chung back was huge. He seemed to be more vocal and Chippier than usual. This means he was watching from the side seeing what the "D" was missing with him out and with his style of play and Spikes back as well this "D" gets a much needed boost in Toughness and Instincts!!! I was encouraged by how Chung looked, and he didnt show any signs of rust of injury. Should be ALL SYSTEMS GO!!!

he played like a scrub at CB this year, I didn't hear much about him during the game. That is a good thing, I can't recall him getting beat at FS against Buffalo, he did come up with a pick that was tipped.

McCourty at FS is a good thing. For one, its a huge improvement over Digs/Slater/whoever we had back there all year. McCourty is good when he can see the ball, zone coverage. He has above average hands and is fast. He is also a decent if not an above average tackler. Like someone said, he is only slightly lighter then Ed Reed/Michael Griffin so he should be fine, hopefully.

If anything, this should get the kid's confidence back, he won't get beat over and over and should be able to make plays on the ball better. I hope BB sticks with this in the post season.

Hopefully it works out for him (and us) at that position...I have my doubts. For one thing (in the short term) the guy is battling a shoulder injury and although that hurts no matter where you play - it's got to hurt more when you have to slam into guys going over the middle. Another problem I think he might run into is that the guy's problem doesn't seem to be a lack of physical talent, but more mental/confidence...how does that project to safety? I guess it my be a confidence boast, but you need good instincts to play free safety. I can picture QB's looking this guy off all day long - leaving guys wide open. He already was late on several passes on Sunday (perhaps that was due to his inexperience).

He does have decent size for the spot and he played well at corner last year. I just wish they had made the switch sooner so the guy would have some time to adjust and get better at it. Who knows, it may only be a temporary move anyways.

McCourty played zone last year and man to man this year. I assume that he has great zone skills and lousy man to man skills. BB can either always play zone (by putting McCourty at the corner position, the Patriots defense screams "zone"), or he can put McCourty at free safety which is always a zone coverage position.

I like the 0 part of the Patriots' 49-0 run last week. Granted, it came against a team interested mostly in showing off its own underwear, but a zero plus three interceptions is about the best performance possible. Arrington, Edelman, McCourty, Chung -- maybe they're a mediocre bunch but they'll get the job done. The Patriots ended up 15th in the league in points allowed and tied for second in the league in victories.

he played like a scrub at CB this year, I didn't hear much about him during the game. That is a good thing, I can't recall him getting beat at FS against Buffalo, he did come up with a pick that was tipped. McCourty at FS is a good thing. For one, its a huge improvement over Digs/Slater/whoever we had back there all year. McCourty is good when he can see the ball, zone coverage. He has above average hands and is fast. He is also a decent if not an above average tackler. Like someone said, he is only slightly lighter then Ed Reed/Michael Griffin so he should be fine, hopefully. If anything, this should get the kid's confidence back, he won't get beat over and over and should be able to make plays on the ball better. I hope BB sticks with this in the post season.Posted by GadisRKO